Do Now: What is the most dramatic transformation that occurs in Part 2? Explain the transformation using evidence from the text. Why have you chosen it?
Classwork:
1. Explanation of Portfolios and Senior Project
2. The Metamorphosis:
You will be working within your groups to analyze the transformations that occur in this section of the text. Your task is to find instances of change and the evidence that supports your inferences. ( including specific text and page number ). Of course you will need to refer to Part 1 for a baseline.
How do the following change? How do the characters react to this change?
1. Gregor
2. Mr. Samsa
3. Mrs. Samsa
4. Grete
5. Gregor's room
6. Family rituals
Homework: Read Part 3 of the book.
The second draft of your essay is due Monday! I am looking for an organized body with paragraphs and a powerful introduction.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Do Now: What problems are you having with the college essay? Are you considering the reader as Trimble suggested?
Classwork: Today you will work within your groups to provide feedback to each other. You will answer the questions below on sticky notes and attach them to the essay.
1. What specific section did you like?
2. What part wasn't clear?
3. Were you able to imagine how the writer felt? If not, what might have helped you to empathize?
4. What is the writer's thesis?
5. Suggestions?
Senior Project Overview: Notice the first deadline!
Homework: Find evidence of transformation in the text and write it beside each category.
Be prepared to discuss the changes in Gregor, his family, and his room.
Classwork: Today you will work within your groups to provide feedback to each other. You will answer the questions below on sticky notes and attach them to the essay.
1. What specific section did you like?
2. What part wasn't clear?
3. Were you able to imagine how the writer felt? If not, what might have helped you to empathize?
4. What is the writer's thesis?
5. Suggestions?
Senior Project Overview: Notice the first deadline!
Homework: Find evidence of transformation in the text and write it beside each category.
Be prepared to discuss the changes in Gregor, his family, and his room.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Do Now: Review Part 2 of The Metamorphosis for a quiz.
Classwork: Final episode of Part 1 and setting of Part 2
1. The setting plays a major part in the chaos that results at the conclusion of Part 1.
Mrs. Samsa and the window.
Mr. Samsa and hissing
Gregor's panic.
2. Part 2 is all about transformation. Make sure you have annotated the text for these changes (pp 24-28)
The setting
Gregor
Grete
Family rituals
Homework: Your college essay rough draft is due tomorrow. This is not the free-write!
Organize sections of the body so that they are clear to the reader and develop your thesis.
You will work in groups peer-editing. You must be prepared! ( 100 points )
Classwork: Final episode of Part 1 and setting of Part 2
1. The setting plays a major part in the chaos that results at the conclusion of Part 1.
Mrs. Samsa and the window.
Mr. Samsa and hissing
Gregor's panic.
2. Part 2 is all about transformation. Make sure you have annotated the text for these changes (pp 24-28)
The setting
Gregor
Grete
Family rituals
Homework: Your college essay rough draft is due tomorrow. This is not the free-write!
Organize sections of the body so that they are clear to the reader and develop your thesis.
You will work in groups peer-editing. You must be prepared! ( 100 points )
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Do Now: Describe Grete from Gregor's point of view. Consider her reactions to him before and after she is aware of his transformation. Why does he feel she would be able to help him with his business associates?
Classwork: The novella
We continue with a close reading of Part1.
Annotate for recurring motifs and Gregor's method of handling his situation.
Homework: Metamorphosis, Part 2 is due on Monday. Be prepared for a quiz.
First draft of college essay is due Tuesday.
Classwork: The novella
We continue with a close reading of Part1.
Annotate for recurring motifs and Gregor's method of handling his situation.
Homework: Metamorphosis, Part 2 is due on Monday. Be prepared for a quiz.
First draft of college essay is due Tuesday.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Do Now: Time of day and especially the alarm clock are symbols in the opening pages of the novella. A symbol stands for something greater than just the word itself. What does the alarm clock symbolize?
Classwork: The Metamorphosis
As you are reading , make sure to focus on point of view: third person
Today we dig deeper into the recurring motifs in Part 1.
Setting - both inside Gregor's room and the dining room.
Time
The world of work and money
Transformation
Homework: Begin filling out data sheets for this section. Use pencil!
Classwork: The Metamorphosis
As you are reading , make sure to focus on point of view: third person
Today we dig deeper into the recurring motifs in Part 1.
Setting - both inside Gregor's room and the dining room.
Time
The world of work and money
Transformation
Homework: Begin filling out data sheets for this section. Use pencil!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Do Now: Review your 5x8 college essay questions and answers. Put them away and free write for 20 minutes. You have until 8:05.
Classwork: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
1. The author: 1833-1924
http://www.kafka.org/index.php?biography
Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of Bohemia, a kingdom that was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Hermann Kafka (1852–1931), worked as a traveling sales representative and later established himself as an independent retailer of men's and women's fancy goods and accessories, His father was an ambitious and bullying. His father’s overbearing and authoritarian personality left its mark on much of Kafka’s writing.
Kafka was the eldest of six children. On business days, both parents were absent from the home. His mother helped to manage her husband's business and worked in it as much as 12 hours a day.The children were largely reared by a succession of governesses and servants. Kafka's sisters were sent with their families to the Łódź ghetto and died there or in concentration camps. Ottla is believed to have been sent to the concentration camp at Theresienstadt and then to the death camp at Auschwitz.
Admitted to the Charles University of Prague, Kafka first studied chemistry, but switched after two weeks to law and worked in the insurance industry. In 1917, Kafka began to suffer from tuberculosis, which would require frequent convalescence during which he was supported by his family, most notably his sister Ottla. Despite his fear of being perceived as both physically and mentally repulsive, he impressed others with his boyish, neat, and austere good looks, a quiet and cool demeanor, obvious intelligence and dry sense of humor.
It is generally agreed that Kafka suffered from clinical depression and social anxiety throughout his entire life. He also suffered from migraines, insomnia, constipation, boils, and other ailments, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by a regimen of naturopathic treatments, such as a vegetarian diet. However, Kafka's tuberculosis worsened; he returned to Prague, then went to a sanatorium near Vienna for treatment, where he died on June 3, 1924.
2. The historical connection
Some look to Kafka's biographical and historical context to argue that the story, published in 1912, expresses Kafka's own sense of self-alienation. Not only was he a German speaker living in Czech Prague, and a Jew living in virulently anti-Semitic times, but Kafka also felt enormous pressure to become a successful businessman like his father. Gregor's transformation into a disgusting parasite is often viewed as an expression of Kafka's feelings of isolation and inferiority. The story is also read as a prescient allegory for genocide, in particular the Holocaust. The word used to describe Gregor – Ungeziefer – is a term that the Nazis used to refer to the Jew.. While Kafka died in 1924, many surviving members of his family perished in the Holocaust.
A Marxist would read Gregor's inability to work as a protest against the dehumanizing and self-alienating effects of working in a capitalistic society.
Gregor's conflict with his father and the dream-like quality of the story is seen as a nod to Freud's analysis of dreams and the Oedipal complex
His emphasis on the absurdity of existence, the alienating experience of modern life, and the cruelty and incomprehensibility of authoritarian power reverberated strongly with a reading public that had just survived World War I and was on its way to a second world war.
Part 1
1. Motifs:
2. Point of View
3. Characterization:
Homework: Reaction Piece - one to two pages. (Journal)
Put yourself in Gregor's place. Use evidence from the text to support your position.
What circumstances in Gregor’s life might have caused him to feel dehumanized even
Classwork: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
1. The author: 1833-1924
http://www.kafka.org/index.php?biography
Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of Bohemia, a kingdom that was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Hermann Kafka (1852–1931), worked as a traveling sales representative and later established himself as an independent retailer of men's and women's fancy goods and accessories, His father was an ambitious and bullying. His father’s overbearing and authoritarian personality left its mark on much of Kafka’s writing.
Kafka was the eldest of six children. On business days, both parents were absent from the home. His mother helped to manage her husband's business and worked in it as much as 12 hours a day.The children were largely reared by a succession of governesses and servants. Kafka's sisters were sent with their families to the Łódź ghetto and died there or in concentration camps. Ottla is believed to have been sent to the concentration camp at Theresienstadt and then to the death camp at Auschwitz.
Admitted to the Charles University of Prague, Kafka first studied chemistry, but switched after two weeks to law and worked in the insurance industry. In 1917, Kafka began to suffer from tuberculosis, which would require frequent convalescence during which he was supported by his family, most notably his sister Ottla. Despite his fear of being perceived as both physically and mentally repulsive, he impressed others with his boyish, neat, and austere good looks, a quiet and cool demeanor, obvious intelligence and dry sense of humor.
It is generally agreed that Kafka suffered from clinical depression and social anxiety throughout his entire life. He also suffered from migraines, insomnia, constipation, boils, and other ailments, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by a regimen of naturopathic treatments, such as a vegetarian diet. However, Kafka's tuberculosis worsened; he returned to Prague, then went to a sanatorium near Vienna for treatment, where he died on June 3, 1924.
2. The historical connection
Some look to Kafka's biographical and historical context to argue that the story, published in 1912, expresses Kafka's own sense of self-alienation. Not only was he a German speaker living in Czech Prague, and a Jew living in virulently anti-Semitic times, but Kafka also felt enormous pressure to become a successful businessman like his father. Gregor's transformation into a disgusting parasite is often viewed as an expression of Kafka's feelings of isolation and inferiority. The story is also read as a prescient allegory for genocide, in particular the Holocaust. The word used to describe Gregor – Ungeziefer – is a term that the Nazis used to refer to the Jew.. While Kafka died in 1924, many surviving members of his family perished in the Holocaust.
A Marxist would read Gregor's inability to work as a protest against the dehumanizing and self-alienating effects of working in a capitalistic society.
Gregor's conflict with his father and the dream-like quality of the story is seen as a nod to Freud's analysis of dreams and the Oedipal complex
His emphasis on the absurdity of existence, the alienating experience of modern life, and the cruelty and incomprehensibility of authoritarian power reverberated strongly with a reading public that had just survived World War I and was on its way to a second world war.
Part 1
1. Motifs:
2. Point of View
3. Characterization:
Homework: Reaction Piece - one to two pages. (Journal)
Put yourself in Gregor's place. Use evidence from the text to support your position.
What circumstances in Gregor’s life might have caused him to feel dehumanized even
before the
metamorphosis took place? From
Gregor’s point of view, what might be some positive aspects of his
metamorphosis into an
insect?
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
Do Now: Put your college essay notes ( questions and answers ) on your desk. Read over them and organize into an order you are comfortable with. Put them away. Open your notebook and free-write for 20 minutes or until I tell you to stop. You may not stop writing before that point.
Classwork:
1. College essay
You now have a zero draft. Put this away and critique it over the weekend. What works; what doesn't? What will you keep or discard?
2. "The Fly", continued.
Annotate the poem for tone and theme.
Homework: Catch up! Metamorphosis on Monday. Chapter 2 by Tuesday!
Classwork:
1. College essay
You now have a zero draft. Put this away and critique it over the weekend. What works; what doesn't? What will you keep or discard?
2. "The Fly", continued.
Annotate the poem for tone and theme.
Homework: Catch up! Metamorphosis on Monday. Chapter 2 by Tuesday!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Do Now: Review Chapter 1 of The Metamorphosis
Classwork:
1. Metamorphosis Quiz
2. Introduction to the college essay:
Homework: Zero Draft and 5x8 slips are due tomorrow
Classwork:
1. Metamorphosis Quiz
2. Introduction to the college essay:
The essay
prompts are as follows:
Some
students have a background or story that is so central to their identity
that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If
this sounds like you, then please share your story. - Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
- Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
- Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
- Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
Homework: Zero Draft and 5x8 slips are due tomorrow
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Do Now: Review for prefix test.
Classwork:
1. Prefix test
2. "The Fly" Karl Shapiro:
Preview the poem.
Focus on figurative language: simile, metaphor, exaggeration
Focus on tone and shifts that may occur in the poem.
Is there any similarity to the short story in theme or tone in this poem?
Read the analysis following the poem. Do you agree/ disagree?
What would you add?
Homework. Kafka's Metamorphosis , Chapter1
Classwork:
1. Prefix test
2. "The Fly" Karl Shapiro:
Preview the poem.
Focus on figurative language: simile, metaphor, exaggeration
Focus on tone and shifts that may occur in the poem.
Is there any similarity to the short story in theme or tone in this poem?
Read the analysis following the poem. Do you agree/ disagree?
What would you add?
Homework. Kafka's Metamorphosis , Chapter1
Monday, September 15, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Do Now: Analyze the setting of Popular Mechanics. Consider figurative language, word choice, and sentence structure to consider the tone of the opening paragraph. How about the two windows in the apartment? What can you infer about this information? Remember, minimalism: every word counts. ( 10 minutes )
Classwork:
1. Analysis of plot and symbolism of Popular Mechanics
2. Arriving at theme
AP Lit Alert - Visit this site for a list of terms and definitions:
http://quizlet.com/15077411/ap-literary-terms-definitions-flash-cards/
Homework:
Revisit your blog answers. Are there changes you should make after today's class?
Prefix test tomorrow
Kafka: Chapter 1 by Thursday!
Classwork:
1. Analysis of plot and symbolism of Popular Mechanics
2. Arriving at theme
AP Lit Alert - Visit this site for a list of terms and definitions:
http://quizlet.com/15077411/ap-literary-terms-definitions-flash-cards/
Homework:
Revisit your blog answers. Are there changes you should make after today's class?
Prefix test tomorrow
Kafka: Chapter 1 by Thursday!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
Do Now: 1. Put the answers to the blog questions on your desk.
2. Analyze "her" character in the story. Use evidence to support your opinion.
Classwork:
1.Distribute The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
2. Popular Mechanics:
Today we focus on setting, plot, conflict, characterization, and symbolism.
Review definitions and identify examples in the short story
A look at style - The first step in analysis
Review and edit your answers to blog questions after class discussion.
3. Prefixes Revisited
Homework: Study for Prefix test on Wednesday
Read Chapter 1 of The Metamorphosis
2. Analyze "her" character in the story. Use evidence to support your opinion.
Classwork:
1.Distribute The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
2. Popular Mechanics:
Today we focus on setting, plot, conflict, characterization, and symbolism.
Review definitions and identify examples in the short story
A look at style - The first step in analysis
Review and edit your answers to blog questions after class discussion.
3. Prefixes Revisited
Homework: Study for Prefix test on Wednesday
Read Chapter 1 of The Metamorphosis
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Do Now: Yesterday, I asked you to research ISIS or ISIL. What did you learn?
Quiz: Writing with Style - 10 minutes
Classwork: Popular Mechanics by Ray Bradbury
1. About the Author:
The basics: American fantasy and horror author Ray Bradbury is best known for his novels Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles. Born August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois, raised in California, self-educated, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91.
Philosophy of writing: Raymond Carver enjoyed Minimalism. He also thought a short story should have a sense of "threat" or "menace." He said the following:
[There should be] a tension, a sense that something is imminent, that certain things are in relentless motion, or else, most often, there simply won't be a story. What creates tension in a piece of fiction is partly the way the concrete words are linked together to make up the visible action of the story. But it's also the things that are left out, that are implied, the landscape just under the smooth (but sometimes broken and unsettled) surface of things.
Personal Life:
2. Popular Mechanics
Homework: Answer the above questions using evidence from the text to support your positions.
Quiz: Writing with Style - 10 minutes
Classwork: Popular Mechanics by Ray Bradbury
1. About the Author:
The basics: American fantasy and horror author Ray Bradbury is best known for his novels Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles. Born August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois, raised in California, self-educated, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91.
Philosophy of writing: Raymond Carver enjoyed Minimalism. He also thought a short story should have a sense of "threat" or "menace." He said the following:
[There should be] a tension, a sense that something is imminent, that certain things are in relentless motion, or else, most often, there simply won't be a story. What creates tension in a piece of fiction is partly the way the concrete words are linked together to make up the visible action of the story. But it's also the things that are left out, that are implied, the landscape just under the smooth (but sometimes broken and unsettled) surface of things.
Personal Life:
2. Popular Mechanics
Reading Questions for “Popular
Mechanics”
1. What is the
importance of the story’s title? Why do you think the author chose the title of
a magazine for his short
story?
2. What is the
importance of the narrator’s emphasis on the snow’s melting into dirty water in
the first line of the story?
3. Carver
doesn’t use conventional punctuation when presenting dialogue—he skips
quotation marks. What is the impact of this?
4. What is the
symbolic value of the flowerpot?
5. Why does the woman take the picture of
the baby off the bed and walk out of the room with it?
6. When, and why, does the man decide that
he wants the baby?
7. The last
sentence of Carver’s story is “In this manner, the issue was decided.” What do
you think “the issue” refers to in the last sentence of the story? Why do you
think Carver chose this curiously neutral term?
8. The last
sentence of the story is a passive sentence. (The issue “was decided” as
opposed to someone deciding the issue.) Why is this significant?
9. What themes
do you see in this story?
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Do Now: It's been 13 years since September 11, 2001. Is our country still vulnerable to this type of assault? Why? Why not?
Classwork:
1. Writing with Style
Annotate the first chapter paying close attention to the differences between novice and
experienced writers, Trimble's suggestions for clarity, and specific strategies you can use to have a conversation with your readers.
2. Introduction to Unit 1 - Short Story, Poetry, and Novel - Fundamentals of Analysis
Popular Mechanics by Ray Bradbury
Homework: Read the short story and be prepared to discuss it in class - focus on Carver's style, tone, and literary elements.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Do Now: Re-read your rough draft to check spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Get rid of "texting".
Do you see problems or ways to improve clarity with this 'fresh' reading?
Classwork:
Writers' Workshop
Chapter 1: Writing with Style
Homework: Your essay/poem is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. It must be in finished form: No ragged edges! Typed or written in ink.
Because it is your name!!!
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